Articles | Volume 11, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-1733-2017
© Author(s) 2017. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-1733-2017
© Author(s) 2017. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Research article
| 
25 Jul 2017
Research article |
| 25 Jul 2017
Experimental observation of transient δ18O interaction between snow and advective airflow under various temperature gradient conditions
Pirmin Philipp Ebner
WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, 7260 Davos Dorf, Switzerland
Hans Christian Steen-Larsen
LSCE Laboratoire des Sciences du Climat et de l'Environnement, Gif-Sur-Yvette CEDEX, France
Center for Ice and Climate, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
Barbara Stenni
Department of Environmental Sciences, Informatics and Statistics, University Ca' Foscari of Venice, Venice, Italy
WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, 7260 Davos Dorf, Switzerland
Aldo Steinfeld
Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland
Related authors
Pirmin Philipp Ebner, Franziska Koch, Valentina Premier, Carlo Marin, Florian Hanzer, Carlo Maria Carmagnola, Hugues François, Daniel Günther, Fabiano Monti, Olivier Hargoaa, Ulrich Strasser, Samuel Morin, and Michael Lehning
The Cryosphere, 15, 3949–3973, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3949-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3949-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
A service to enable real-time optimization of grooming and snow-making at ski resorts was developed and evaluated using both GNSS-measured snow depth and spaceborne snow maps derived from Copernicus Sentinel-2. The correlation to the ground observation data was high. Potential sources for the overestimation of the snow depth by the simulations are mainly the impact of snow redistribution by skiers, compensation of uneven terrain, or spontaneous local adaptions of the snow management.
Pirmin Philipp Ebner, Aaron Coulin, Joël Borner, Fabian Wolfsperger, Michael Hohl, and Martin Schneebeli
The Cryosphere Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2020-56, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2020-56, 2020
Revised manuscript not accepted
Short summary
Short summary
These laboratory measurements allow to analyse wet snow and to find the narrow range of the starting point of water percolation in coarse-grained snow. Based on the electrical monitoring a promising perspective for retrieving water content and water distribution in the snowpack is given. The water distribution is analysed using micro-computer tomography to find preferential spots of the accumulated water. These findings are pertinent to the interpretation of the snow melt run-off of spring snow.
Pirmin Philipp Ebner, Martin Schneebeli, and Aldo Steinfeld
The Cryosphere, 10, 791–797, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-791-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-791-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Changes of the porous ice structure were observed in a snow sample. Sublimation occurred due to the slight undersaturation of the incoming air into the warmer ice matrix. Diffusion of water vapor opposite to the direction of the temperature gradient counteracted the mass transport of advection. Therefore, the total net ice change was negligible, leading to a constant porosity profile. However, the strong recrystallization of water molecules in snow may impact its isotopic or chemical content.
P. P. Ebner, M. Schneebeli, and A. Steinfeld
The Cryosphere, 9, 1363–1371, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1363-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1363-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
Time-lapse X-ray microtomography was used to investigate the structural dynamics of isothermal snow metamorphism exposed to an advective airflow and possible effects on natural snowpacks were discussed. The results showed that isothermal advection with saturated air have no influence on the coarsening rate that is typical for isothermal snow metamorphism. It is driven by sublimation-deposition caused by Kelvin effect and is the limiting factor independently of the transport regime in the pores.
P. P. Ebner, S. A. Grimm, M. Schneebeli, and A. Steinfeld
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 3, 179–185, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-3-179-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-3-179-2014, 2014
Moein Mellat, Amy R. Macfarlane, Camilla F. Brunello, Martin Werner, Martin Schneebeli, Ruzica Dadic, Stefanie Arndt, Kaisa-Riikka Mustonen, Jeffrey M. Welker, and Hanno Meyer
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-719, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-719, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Our research, utilizing data from the Arctic MOSAiC expedition, reveals how snow on Arctic sea ice changes due to weather conditions. By analyzing snow samples collected over a year, we found differences in snow layers that tell us about their origins and how they've been affected by the environment. We discovered variations in snow and vapour that reflect the influence of weather patterns and surface processes like wind and sublimation.
Inès Ollivier, Hans Christian Steen-Larsen, Barbara Stenni, Laurent Arnaud, Mathieu Casado, Alexandre Cauquoin, Giuliano Dreossi, Christophe Genthon, Bénédicte Minster, Ghislain Picard, Martin Werner, and Amaëlle Landais
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-685, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2024-685, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
The role of post-depositional processes taking place at the ice sheet's surface on the water stable isotope signal measured in polar ice cores is not fully understood. Using field observations and modelling results, we show that the original precipitation isotopic signal at Dome C, East Antarctica, is modified by post-depositional processes and provide the first quantitative estimation of their mean impact on the isotopic signal observed in the snow.
Andrea Spolaor, Federico Scoto, Catherine Larose, Elena Barbaro, Francois Burgay, Mats P. Bjorkman, David Cappelletti, Federico Dallo, Fabrizio de Blasi, Dmitry Divine, Giuliano Dreossi, Jacopo Gabrieli, Elisabeth Isaksson, Jack Kohler, Tonu Martma, Louise S. Schmidt, Thomas V. Schuler, Barbara Stenni, Clara Turetta, Bartłomiej Luks, Mathieu Casado, and Jean-Charles Gallet
The Cryosphere, 18, 307–320, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-307-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-307-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We evaluate the impact of the increased snowmelt on the preservation of the oxygen isotope (δ18O) signal in firn records recovered from the top of the Holtedahlfonna ice field located in the Svalbard archipelago. Thanks to a multidisciplinary approach we demonstrate a progressive deterioration of the isotope signal in the firn core. We link the degradation of the δ18O signal to the increased occurrence and intensity of melt events associated with the rapid warming occurring in the archipelago.
Cecile B. Menard, Sirpa Rasmus, Ioanna Merkouriadi, Gianpaolo Balsamo, Annett Bartsch, Chris Derksen, Florent Domine, Marie Dumont, Dorothee Ehrich, Richard Essery, Bruce C. Forbes, Gerhard Krinner, David Lawrence, Glen Liston, Heidrun Matthes, Nick Rutter, Melody Sandells, Martin Schneebeli, and Sari Stark
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2926, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2926, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
Computer models, like those used in climate change studies, are written by modelers who have to decide how best to construct the models in order to satisfy the purpose they serve. Using snow modeling as an example, we examine the process behind the decisions to understand what motivates or limits modelers in their decision-making. We found that the context in which research is undertaken is often more crucial than scientific limitations. We argue for more transparency into our research practice.
Romilly Harris Stuart, Amaëlle Landais, Laurent Arnaud, Christo Buizert, Emilie Capron, Marie Dumont, Quentin Libois, Robert Mulvaney, Anaïs Orsi, Ghislain Picard, Frédéric Prié, Jeffery Severinghaus, Barbara Stenni, and Patricia Martinerie
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2585, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2585, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The influence of local accumulation rate and temperature on δO2/N2 ice core records, a key dating tool, are not fully understood, but required for a full mechanistic understanding. We show evidence that mean δO2/N2 is strongly dependent on local accumulation rate and temperature, in addition to the well documented insolation dependence. Snowpack modelling is used to investigate which physical properties drive the mechanistic dependence on these local parameters.
Amy R. Macfarlane, Henning Löwe, Lucille Gimenes, David N. Wagner, Ruzica Dadic, Rafael Ottersberg, Stefan Hämmerle, and Martin Schneebeli
The Cryosphere, 17, 5417–5434, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-5417-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-5417-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Snow acts as an insulating blanket on Arctic sea ice, keeping the underlying ice "warm", relative to the atmosphere. Knowing the snow's thermal conductivity is essential for understanding winter ice growth. During the MOSAiC expedition, we measured the thermal conductivity of snow. We found spatial and vertical variability to overpower any temporal variability or dependency on underlying ice type and the thermal resistance to be directly influenced by snow height.
Giuliano Dreossi, Mauro Masiol, Barbara Stenni, Daniele Zannoni, Claudio Scarchilli, Virginia Ciardini, Mathieu Casado, Amaëlle Landais, Martin Werner, Alexandre Cauquoin, Giampietro Casasanta, Massimo Del Guasta, Vittoria Posocco, and Carlo Barbante
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2813, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-2813, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Oxygen and hydrogen stable isotopes have been extensively used to reconstruct past temperatures, with precipitation representing the input signal of the isotopic records in ice cores. We present a 10-year record of stable isotopes in daily precipitation at Concordia Station: this is the longest record for inland Antarctica and represents a benchmark for quantifying post-depositional processes and improving the paleoclimate interpretation of ice cores.
Baptiste Vandecrux, Jason E. Box, Andreas P. Ahlstrøm, Signe B. Andersen, Nicolas Bayou, William T. Colgan, Nicolas J. Cullen, Robert S. Fausto, Dominik Haas-Artho, Achim Heilig, Derek A. Houtz, Penelope How, Ionut Iosifescu Enescu, Nanna B. Karlsson, Rebecca Kurup Buchholz, Kenneth D. Mankoff, Daniel McGrath, Noah P. Molotch, Bianca Perren, Maiken K. Revheim, Anja Rutishauser, Kevin Sampson, Martin Schneebeli, Sandy Starkweather, Simon Steffen, Jeff Weber, Patrick J. Wright, Henry Jay Zwally, and Konrad Steffen
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 5467–5489, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-5467-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-5467-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The Greenland Climate Network (GC-Net) comprises stations that have been monitoring the weather on the Greenland Ice Sheet for over 30 years. These stations are being replaced by newer ones maintained by the Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland (GEUS). The historical data were reprocessed to improve their quality, and key information about the weather stations has been compiled. This augmented dataset is available at https://doi.org/10.22008/FK2/VVXGUT (Steffen et al., 2022).
Julia Kaltenborn, Amy R. Macfarlane, Viviane Clay, and Martin Schneebeli
Geosci. Model Dev., 16, 4521–4550, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-4521-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-16-4521-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Snow layer segmentation and snow grain classification are essential diagnostic tasks for cryospheric applications. A SnowMicroPen (SMP) can be used to that end; however, the manual classification of its profiles becomes infeasible for large datasets. Here, we evaluate how well machine learning models automate this task. Of the 14 models trained on the MOSAiC SMP dataset, the long short-term memory model performed the best. The findings presented here facilitate and accelerate SMP data analysis.
Marie Dumont, Simon Gascoin, Marion Réveillet, Didier Voisin, François Tuzet, Laurent Arnaud, Mylène Bonnefoy, Montse Bacardit Peñarroya, Carlo Carmagnola, Alexandre Deguine, Aurélie Diacre, Lukas Dürr, Olivier Evrard, Firmin Fontaine, Amaury Frankl, Mathieu Fructus, Laure Gandois, Isabelle Gouttevin, Abdelfateh Gherab, Pascal Hagenmuller, Sophia Hansson, Hervé Herbin, Béatrice Josse, Bruno Jourdain, Irene Lefevre, Gaël Le Roux, Quentin Libois, Lucie Liger, Samuel Morin, Denis Petitprez, Alvaro Robledano, Martin Schneebeli, Pascal Salze, Delphine Six, Emmanuel Thibert, Jürg Trachsel, Matthieu Vernay, Léo Viallon-Galinier, and Céline Voiron
Earth Syst. Sci. Data, 15, 3075–3094, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-3075-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-15-3075-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Saharan dust outbreaks have profound effects on ecosystems, climate, health, and the cryosphere, but the spatial deposition pattern of Saharan dust is poorly known. Following the extreme dust deposition event of February 2021 across Europe, a citizen science campaign was launched to sample dust on snow over the Pyrenees and the European Alps. This campaign triggered wide interest and over 100 samples. The samples revealed the high variability of the dust properties within a single event.
Vishnu Nandan, Rosemary Willatt, Robbie Mallett, Julienne Stroeve, Torsten Geldsetzer, Randall Scharien, Rasmus Tonboe, John Yackel, Jack Landy, David Clemens-Sewall, Arttu Jutila, David N. Wagner, Daniela Krampe, Marcus Huntemann, Mallik Mahmud, David Jensen, Thomas Newman, Stefan Hendricks, Gunnar Spreen, Amy Macfarlane, Martin Schneebeli, James Mead, Robert Ricker, Michael Gallagher, Claude Duguay, Ian Raphael, Chris Polashenski, Michel Tsamados, Ilkka Matero, and Mario Hoppmann
The Cryosphere, 17, 2211–2229, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2211-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-2211-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
We show that wind redistributes snow on Arctic sea ice, and Ka- and Ku-band radar measurements detect both newly deposited snow and buried snow layers that can affect the accuracy of snow depth estimates on sea ice. Radar, laser, meteorological, and snow data were collected during the MOSAiC expedition. With frequent occurrence of storms in the Arctic, our results show that
wind-redistributed snow needs to be accounted for to improve snow depth estimates on sea ice from satellite radars.
Simone Ventisette, Samuele Baldini, Claudio Artoni, Silvia Becagli, Laura Caiazzo, Barbara Delmonte, Massimo Frezzotti, Raffaello Nardin, Joel Savarino, Mirko Severi, Andrea Spolaor, Barbara Stenni, and Rita Traversi
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-393, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-393, 2023
Preprint archived
Short summary
Short summary
The paper reports the spatial variability of concentration and fluxes of chemical impurities in superficial snow over unexplored area of the East Antarctic ice sheet. Pinatubo and Puyehue-Cordón Caulle volcanic eruptions in non-sea salt sulfate and dust snow pits record were used to achieve the accumulation rates. Deposition (wet, dry and uptake from snow surface) and post deposition processes are constrained. These knowledges are fundamental in Antarctic ice cores stratigraphies interpretation.
Julia Martin and Martin Schneebeli
The Cryosphere, 17, 1723–1734, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1723-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1723-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The grain size of snow determines how light is reflected and other physical properties. The IceCube measures snow grain size at the specific near-infrared wavelength of 1320 nm. In our study, the preparation of snow samples for the IceCube creates a thin layer of small particles. Comparisons of the grain size with computed tomography, particle counting and numerical simulation confirm the aforementioned observation. We conclude that measurements at this wavelength underestimate the grain size.
Antoine Grisart, Mathieu Casado, Vasileios Gkinis, Bo Vinther, Philippe Naveau, Mathieu Vrac, Thomas Laepple, Bénédicte Minster, Frederic Prié, Barbara Stenni, Elise Fourré, Hans Christian Steen-Larsen, Jean Jouzel, Martin Werner, Katy Pol, Valérie Masson-Delmotte, Maria Hoerhold, Trevor Popp, and Amaelle Landais
Clim. Past, 18, 2289–2301, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-2289-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-18-2289-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This paper presents a compilation of high-resolution (11 cm) water isotopic records, including published and new measurements, for the last 800 000 years from the EPICA Dome C ice core, Antarctica. Using this new combined water isotopes (δ18O and δD) dataset, we study the variability and possible influence of diffusion at the multi-decadal to multi-centennial scale. We observe a stronger variability at the onset of the interglacial interval corresponding to a warm period.
Julienne Stroeve, Vishnu Nandan, Rosemary Willatt, Ruzica Dadic, Philip Rostosky, Michael Gallagher, Robbie Mallett, Andrew Barrett, Stefan Hendricks, Rasmus Tonboe, Michelle McCrystall, Mark Serreze, Linda Thielke, Gunnar Spreen, Thomas Newman, John Yackel, Robert Ricker, Michel Tsamados, Amy Macfarlane, Henna-Reetta Hannula, and Martin Schneebeli
The Cryosphere, 16, 4223–4250, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4223-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4223-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Impacts of rain on snow (ROS) on satellite-retrieved sea ice variables remain to be fully understood. This study evaluates the impacts of ROS over sea ice on active and passive microwave data collected during the 2019–20 MOSAiC expedition. Rainfall and subsequent refreezing of the snowpack significantly altered emitted and backscattered radar energy, laying important groundwork for understanding their impacts on operational satellite retrievals of various sea ice geophysical variables.
Océane Hames, Mahdi Jafari, David Nicholas Wagner, Ian Raphael, David Clemens-Sewall, Chris Polashenski, Matthew D. Shupe, Martin Schneebeli, and Michael Lehning
Geosci. Model Dev., 15, 6429–6449, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-6429-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-15-6429-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
This paper presents an Eulerian–Lagrangian snow transport model implemented in the fluid dynamics software OpenFOAM, which we call snowBedFoam 1.0. We apply this model to reproduce snow deposition on a piece of ridged Arctic sea ice, which was produced during the MOSAiC expedition through scan measurements. The model appears to successfully reproduce the enhanced snow accumulation and deposition patterns, although some quantitative uncertainties were shown.
David N. Wagner, Matthew D. Shupe, Christopher Cox, Ola G. Persson, Taneil Uttal, Markus M. Frey, Amélie Kirchgaessner, Martin Schneebeli, Matthias Jaggi, Amy R. Macfarlane, Polona Itkin, Stefanie Arndt, Stefan Hendricks, Daniela Krampe, Marcel Nicolaus, Robert Ricker, Julia Regnery, Nikolai Kolabutin, Egor Shimanshuck, Marc Oggier, Ian Raphael, Julienne Stroeve, and Michael Lehning
The Cryosphere, 16, 2373–2402, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2373-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2373-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Based on measurements of the snow cover over sea ice and atmospheric measurements, we estimate snowfall and snow accumulation for the MOSAiC ice floe, between November 2019 and May 2020. For this period, we estimate 98–114 mm of precipitation. We suggest that about 34 mm of snow water equivalent accumulated until the end of April 2020 and that at least about 50 % of the precipitated snow was eroded or sublimated. Further, we suggest explanations for potential snowfall overestimation.
Paolo Gabrielli, Theo Manuel Jenk, Michele Bertó, Giuliano Dreossi, Daniela Festi, Werner Kofler, Mai Winstrup, Klaus Oeggl, Margit Schwikowski, Barbara Stenni, and Carlo Barbante
Clim. Past Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2022-20, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-2022-20, 2022
Revised manuscript not accepted
Short summary
Short summary
We present a methodology that reduces the chronological uncertainty of an Alpine ice core record from the glacier Alto dell’Ortles, Italy. This chronology will allow the constraint of the Holocene climatic and environmental histories emerging from this archive of Central Europe. This method will allow to obtain accurate chronologies also from other ice cores from-low latitude/high-altitude glaciers that typically suffer from larger dating uncertainties compared with well dated polar records.
Raffaello Nardin, Mirko Severi, Alessandra Amore, Silvia Becagli, Francois Burgay, Laura Caiazzo, Virginia Ciardini, Giuliano Dreossi, Massimo Frezzotti, Sang-Bum Hong, Ishaq Khan, Bianca Maria Narcisi, Marco Proposito, Claudio Scarchilli, Enricomaria Selmo, Andrea Spolaor, Barbara Stenni, and Rita Traversi
Clim. Past, 17, 2073–2089, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-2073-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-17-2073-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The first step to exploit all the potential information buried in ice cores is to produce a reliable age scale. Based on chemical and isotopic records from the 197 m Antarctic GV7(B) ice core, accurate dating was achieved and showed that the archive spans roughly the last 830 years. The relatively high accumulation rate allowed us to use the non-sea-salt sulfate seasonal pattern to count annual layers. The accumulation rate reconstruction exhibited a slight increase since the 18th century.
Sönke Maus, Martin Schneebeli, and Andreas Wiegmann
The Cryosphere, 15, 4047–4072, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4047-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4047-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
As the hydraulic permeability of sea ice is difficult to measure, observations are sparse. The present work presents numerical simulations of the permeability of young sea ice based on a large set of 3D X-ray tomographic images. It extends the relationship between permeability and porosity available so far down to brine porosities near the percolation threshold of a few per cent. Evaluation of pore scales and 3D connectivity provides novel insight into the percolation behaviour of sea ice.
Pirmin Philipp Ebner, Franziska Koch, Valentina Premier, Carlo Marin, Florian Hanzer, Carlo Maria Carmagnola, Hugues François, Daniel Günther, Fabiano Monti, Olivier Hargoaa, Ulrich Strasser, Samuel Morin, and Michael Lehning
The Cryosphere, 15, 3949–3973, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3949-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3949-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
A service to enable real-time optimization of grooming and snow-making at ski resorts was developed and evaluated using both GNSS-measured snow depth and spaceborne snow maps derived from Copernicus Sentinel-2. The correlation to the ground observation data was high. Potential sources for the overestimation of the snow depth by the simulations are mainly the impact of snow redistribution by skiers, compensation of uneven terrain, or spontaneous local adaptions of the snow management.
Pascal Bohleber, Marco Roman, Martin Šala, Barbara Delmonte, Barbara Stenni, and Carlo Barbante
The Cryosphere, 15, 3523–3538, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3523-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3523-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS) offers micro-destructive, micrometer-scale impurity analysis of ice cores. For improved understanding of the LA-ICP-MS signals, novel 2D impurity imaging is applied to selected glacial and interglacial samples of Antarctic deep ice cores. This allows evaluating the 2D impurity distribution in relation to ice crystal features and assessing implications for investigating highly thinned climate proxy signals in deep polar ice.
Julienne Stroeve, Vishnu Nandan, Rosemary Willatt, Rasmus Tonboe, Stefan Hendricks, Robert Ricker, James Mead, Robbie Mallett, Marcus Huntemann, Polona Itkin, Martin Schneebeli, Daniela Krampe, Gunnar Spreen, Jeremy Wilkinson, Ilkka Matero, Mario Hoppmann, and Michel Tsamados
The Cryosphere, 14, 4405–4426, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4405-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-4405-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
This study provides a first look at the data collected by a new dual-frequency Ka- and Ku-band in situ radar over winter sea ice in the Arctic Ocean. The instrument shows potential for using both bands to retrieve snow depth over sea ice, as well as sensitivity of the measurements to changing snow and atmospheric conditions.
Jacinta Edebeli, Jürg C. Trachsel, Sven E. Avak, Markus Ammann, Martin Schneebeli, Anja Eichler, and Thorsten Bartels-Rausch
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 20, 13443–13454, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-13443-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-20-13443-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Earth’s snow cover is very dynamic and can change its physical properties within hours, as is well known by skiers. Snow is also a well-known host of chemical reactions – the products of which impact air composition and quality. Here, we present laboratory experiments that show how the dynamics of snow make snow essentially inert with respect to gas-phase ozone with time despite its content of reactive chemicals. Impacts on polar atmospheric chemistry are discussed.
Neige Calonne, Bettina Richter, Henning Löwe, Cecilia Cetti, Judith ter Schure, Alec Van Herwijnen, Charles Fierz, Matthias Jaggi, and Martin Schneebeli
The Cryosphere, 14, 1829–1848, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1829-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1829-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
During winter 2015–2016, the standard program to monitor the structure and stability of the snowpack at Weissflujoch, Swiss Alps, was complemented by additional measurements to compare between various traditional and newly developed techniques. Snow micro-penetrometer measurements allowed monitoring of the evolution of the snowpack's internal structure at a daily resolution throughout the winter. We show the potential of such high-resolution data for detailed evaluations of snowpack models.
Pirmin Philipp Ebner, Aaron Coulin, Joël Borner, Fabian Wolfsperger, Michael Hohl, and Martin Schneebeli
The Cryosphere Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2020-56, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2020-56, 2020
Revised manuscript not accepted
Short summary
Short summary
These laboratory measurements allow to analyse wet snow and to find the narrow range of the starting point of water percolation in coarse-grained snow. Based on the electrical monitoring a promising perspective for retrieving water content and water distribution in the snowpack is given. The water distribution is analysed using micro-computer tomography to find preferential spots of the accumulated water. These findings are pertinent to the interpretation of the snow melt run-off of spring snow.
Achim Heilig, Olaf Eisen, Martin Schneebeli, Michael MacFerrin, C. Max Stevens, Baptiste Vandecrux, and Konrad Steffen
The Cryosphere, 14, 385–402, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-385-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-385-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We investigate the spatial representativeness of point observations of snow accumulation in SW Greenland. Such analyses have rarely been conducted but are necessary to link regional-scale observations from, e.g., remote-sensing data to firn cores and snow pits. The presented data reveal a low regional variability in density but snow depth can vary significantly. It is necessary to combine pits with spatial snow depth data to increase the regional representativeness of accumulation observations.
Kévin Fourteau, Patricia Martinerie, Xavier Faïn, Christoph F. Schaller, Rebecca J. Tuckwell, Henning Löwe, Laurent Arnaud, Olivier Magand, Elizabeth R. Thomas, Johannes Freitag, Robert Mulvaney, Martin Schneebeli, and Vladimir Ya. Lipenkov
The Cryosphere, 13, 3383–3403, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-3383-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-3383-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Understanding gas trapping in polar ice is essential to study the relationship between greenhouse gases and past climates. New data of bubble closure, used in a simple gas-trapping model, show inconsistency with the final air content in ice. This suggests gas trapping is not fully understood. We also use a combination of high-resolution measurements to investigate the effect of polar snow stratification on gas trapping and find that all strata have similar pores, but that some close in advance.
François Klein, Nerilie J. Abram, Mark A. J. Curran, Hugues Goosse, Sentia Goursaud, Valérie Masson-Delmotte, Andrew Moy, Raphael Neukom, Anaïs Orsi, Jesper Sjolte, Nathan Steiger, Barbara Stenni, and Martin Werner
Clim. Past, 15, 661–684, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-661-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-15-661-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Antarctic temperature changes over the past millennia have been reconstructed from isotope records in ice cores in several studies. However, the link between both variables is complex. Here, we investigate the extent to which this affects the robustness of temperature reconstructions using pseudoproxy and data assimilation experiments. We show that the reconstruction skill is limited, especially at the regional scale, due to a weak and nonstationary covariance between δ18O and temperature.
Isabelle Gouttevin, Moritz Langer, Henning Löwe, Julia Boike, Martin Proksch, and Martin Schneebeli
The Cryosphere, 12, 3693–3717, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3693-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3693-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Snow insulates the ground from the cold air in the Arctic winter, majorly affecting permafrost. This insulation depends on snow characteristics and is poorly quantified. Here, we characterize it at a carbon-rich permafrost site, using a recent technique that retrieves the 3-D structure of snow and its thermal properties. We adapt a snowpack model enabling the simulation of this insulation over a whole winter. We estimate that local snow variations induce up to a 6 °C spread in soil temperatures.
Minjie Zheng, Jesper Sjolte, Florian Adolphi, Bo Møllesøe Vinther, Hans Christian Steen-Larsen, Trevor James Popp, and Raimund Muscheler
Clim. Past, 14, 1067–1078, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-1067-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-14-1067-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
We show the seasonal δ18O data from the NEEM site in northwestern Greenland over the last 150 years. We found that the NEEM summer δ18O signal correlates well with summer temperature in western coastal Greenland, while the NEEM winter δ18O signal correlates well with sea ice concentration in Baffin Bay. In contrast with the winter δ18O data from central/southern Greenland, we find no linkage of NEEM winter δ18O to winter NAO.
Mathieu Casado, Amaelle Landais, Ghislain Picard, Thomas Münch, Thomas Laepple, Barbara Stenni, Giuliano Dreossi, Alexey Ekaykin, Laurent Arnaud, Christophe Genthon, Alexandra Touzeau, Valerie Masson-Delmotte, and Jean Jouzel
The Cryosphere, 12, 1745–1766, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1745-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-1745-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Ice core isotopic records rely on the knowledge of the processes involved in the archival processes of the snow. In the East Antarctic Plateau, post-deposition processes strongly affect the signal found in the surface and buried snow compared to the initial climatic signal. We evaluate the different contributions to the surface snow isotopic composition between the precipitation and the exchanges with the atmosphere and the variability of the isotopic signal found in profiles from snow pits.
Barbara Stenni, Mark A. J. Curran, Nerilie J. Abram, Anais Orsi, Sentia Goursaud, Valerie Masson-Delmotte, Raphael Neukom, Hugues Goosse, Dmitry Divine, Tas van Ommen, Eric J. Steig, Daniel A. Dixon, Elizabeth R. Thomas, Nancy A. N. Bertler, Elisabeth Isaksson, Alexey Ekaykin, Martin Werner, and Massimo Frezzotti
Clim. Past, 13, 1609–1634, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-1609-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-1609-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Within PAGES Antarctica2k, we build an enlarged database of ice core water stable isotope records. We produce isotopic composites and temperature reconstructions since 0 CE for seven distinct Antarctic regions. We find a significant cooling trend from 0 to 1900 CE across all regions. Since 1900 CE, significant warming trends are identified for three regions. Only for the Antarctic Peninsula is this most recent century-scale trend unusual in the context of last-2000-year natural variability.
Elizabeth R. Thomas, J. Melchior van Wessem, Jason Roberts, Elisabeth Isaksson, Elisabeth Schlosser, Tyler J. Fudge, Paul Vallelonga, Brooke Medley, Jan Lenaerts, Nancy Bertler, Michiel R. van den Broeke, Daniel A. Dixon, Massimo Frezzotti, Barbara Stenni, Mark Curran, and Alexey A. Ekaykin
Clim. Past, 13, 1491–1513, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-1491-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-13-1491-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Regional Antarctic snow accumulation derived from 79 ice core records is evaluated as part of the PAGES Antarctica 2k working group. Our results show that surface mass balance for the total Antarctic ice sheet has increased at a rate of 7 ± 0.13 Gt dec-1 since 1800 AD, representing a net reduction in sea level of ~ 0.02 mm dec-1 since 1800 and ~ 0.04 mm dec-1 since 1900 AD. The largest contribution is from the Antarctic Peninsula.
Elisabeth Schlosser, Anna Dittmann, Barbara Stenni, Jordan G. Powers, Kevin W. Manning, Valérie Masson-Delmotte, Mauro Valt, Anselmo Cagnati, Paolo Grigioni, and Claudio Scarchilli
The Cryosphere, 11, 2345–2361, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2345-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2345-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
To derive paleotemperatures from ice cores we must know all processes involved in ice formation. At the Antarctic base Dome C, a unique precipitation data set plus stable water isotope data enabled us to study atmospheric processes influencing isotope ratios of precipitation in detail. Meteorological data from both automatic weather station and an atmospheric model were used to investigate how different atmospheric flow patterns determine the precipitation parameters used in paleoclimatology.
Sascha Bellaire, Martin Proksch, Martin Schneebeli, Masashi Niwano, and Konrad Steffen
The Cryosphere Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2017-55, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2017-55, 2017
Preprint withdrawn
Paolo Gabrielli, Carlo Barbante, Giuliano Bertagna, Michele Bertó, Daniel Binder, Alberto Carton, Luca Carturan, Federico Cazorzi, Giulio Cozzi, Giancarlo Dalla Fontana, Mary Davis, Fabrizio De Blasi, Roberto Dinale, Gianfranco Dragà, Giuliano Dreossi, Daniela Festi, Massimo Frezzotti, Jacopo Gabrieli, Stephan P. Galos, Patrick Ginot, Petra Heidenwolf, Theo M. Jenk, Natalie Kehrwald, Donald Kenny, Olivier Magand, Volkmar Mair, Vladimir Mikhalenko, Ping Nan Lin, Klaus Oeggl, Gianni Piffer, Mirko Rinaldi, Ulrich Schotterer, Margit Schwikowski, Roberto Seppi, Andrea Spolaor, Barbara Stenni, David Tonidandel, Chiara Uglietti, Victor Zagorodnov, Thomas Zanoner, and Piero Zennaro
The Cryosphere, 10, 2779–2797, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-2779-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-2779-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
New ice cores were extracted from Alto dell'Ortles, the highest glacier of South Tyrol in the Italian Alps, to check whether prehistoric ice, which is coeval to the famous 5300-yr-old Tyrolean Iceman, is still preserved in this region. Dating of the ice cores confirms the hypothesis and indicates the drilling site has been glaciated since the end of the Northern Hemisphere Climatic Optimum (7000 yrs BP). We also infer that an unprecedented acceleration of the glacier flow has recently begun.
Mathieu Casado, Amaelle Landais, Ghislain Picard, Thomas Münch, Thomas Laepple, Barbara Stenni, Giuliano Dreossi, Alexey Ekaykin, Laurent Arnaud, Christophe Genthon, Alexandra Touzeau, Valérie Masson-Delmotte, and Jean Jouzel
The Cryosphere Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2016-263, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-2016-263, 2016
Revised manuscript not accepted
Short summary
Short summary
Ice core isotopic records rely on the knowledge of the processes involved in the archival of the snow. In the East Antarctic Plateau, post-deposition processes strongly affect the signal found in the surface and buried snow compared to the initial climatic signal. We evaluate the different contributions to the surface snow isotopic composition between the precipitation and the exchanges with the atmosphere and the variability of the isotopic signal found in profiles from snow pits.
Barbara Stenni, Claudio Scarchilli, Valerie Masson-Delmotte, Elisabeth Schlosser, Virginia Ciardini, Giuliano Dreossi, Paolo Grigioni, Mattia Bonazza, Anselmo Cagnati, Daniele Karlicek, Camille Risi, Roberto Udisti, and Mauro Valt
The Cryosphere, 10, 2415–2428, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-2415-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-2415-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Here, we focus on the Concordia Station, central East Antarctic plateau, providing a multi-year record (2008–2010) of daily precipitation types identified from crystal morphologies, precipitation amounts and isotopic composition. Relationships between local meteorological data and precipitation oxygen isotope composition are investigated. Our dataset is available for in-depth model evaluation at the synoptic scale.
Juha Lemmetyinen, Anna Kontu, Jouni Pulliainen, Juho Vehviläinen, Kimmo Rautiainen, Andreas Wiesmann, Christian Mätzler, Charles Werner, Helmut Rott, Thomas Nagler, Martin Schneebeli, Martin Proksch, Dirk Schüttemeyer, Michael Kern, and Malcolm W. J. Davidson
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 5, 403–415, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-5-403-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-5-403-2016, 2016
Christoph Florian Schaller, Johannes Freitag, Sepp Kipfstuhl, Thomas Laepple, Hans Christian Steen-Larsen, and Olaf Eisen
The Cryosphere, 10, 1991–2002, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-1991-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-1991-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Along a traverse through North Greenland in May 2015 we collected snow cores up to 2 m in depth and analyzed their properties (e.g., density). A new technique for this sampling and an adapted algorithm for comparing data sets from different positions and aligning stratigraphic features are presented. We find good agreement of the density layering in the snowpack over hundreds of kilometers. This allows the construction of a representative density profile that is statistically validated.
François Ritter, Hans Christian Steen-Larsen, Martin Werner, Valérie Masson-Delmotte, Anais Orsi, Melanie Behrens, Gerit Birnbaum, Johannes Freitag, Camille Risi, and Sepp Kipfstuhl
The Cryosphere, 10, 1647–1663, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-1647-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-1647-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
We present successful continuous measurements of water vapor isotopes performed in Antarctica in January 2013. The interest is to understand the impact of the water vapor isotopic composition on the near-surface snow isotopes. Our study reveals a diurnal cycle in the snow isotopic composition in phase with the vapor. This finding suggests fractionation during the sublimation of the ice, which has an important consequence on the interpretation of water isotope variations in ice cores.
Mathieu Casado, Amaelle Landais, Valérie Masson-Delmotte, Christophe Genthon, Erik Kerstel, Samir Kassi, Laurent Arnaud, Ghislain Picard, Frederic Prie, Olivier Cattani, Hans-Christian Steen-Larsen, Etienne Vignon, and Peter Cermak
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 8521–8538, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-8521-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-8521-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Climatic conditions in Concordia are very cold (−55 °C in average) and very dry, imposing difficult conditions to measure the water vapour isotopic composition. New developments in infrared spectroscopy enable now the measurement of isotopic composition in water vapour traces (down to 20 ppmv). Here we present the results results of a first campaign of measurement of isotopic composition of water vapour in Concordia, the site where the 800 000 years long ice core was drilled.
Pascal Hagenmuller, Margret Matzl, Guillaume Chambon, and Martin Schneebeli
The Cryosphere, 10, 1039–1054, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-1039-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-1039-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
The paper focuses on the characterization of snow microstructure with X-ray microtomography, a technique that is progressively becoming the standard for snow characterization. In particular, it rigorously investigates how the image processing algorithms affect the subsequent microstructure characterization in terms of density and specific surface area. From this analysis, practical recommendations concerning the processing X-ray tomographic images of snow are provided.
Elisabeth Schlosser, Barbara Stenni, Mauro Valt, Anselmo Cagnati, Jordan G. Powers, Kevin W. Manning, Marilyn Raphael, and Michael G. Duda
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 4757–4770, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-4757-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-4757-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Striking differences in the atmospheric flow and thus weather conditions in 2009 and 2010 at the Antarctic deep ice core drilling site Dome C were investigated using a mesoscale atmospheric model and precipitation measurements, and implications for interpretation of ice cores are discussed. Stable isotope ratios are commonly used to derive paleotemperatures and are strongly influenced by the prevailing atmospheric flow regime, namely a strong zonal flow or a highly meriodional flow.
Alexandra Touzeau, Amaëlle Landais, Barbara Stenni, Ryu Uemura, Kotaro Fukui, Shuji Fujita, Sarah Guilbaud, Alexey Ekaykin, Mathieu Casado, Eugeni Barkan, Boaz Luz, Olivier Magand, Grégory Teste, Emmanuel Le Meur, Mélanie Baroni, Joël Savarino, Ilann Bourgeois, and Camille Risi
The Cryosphere, 10, 837–852, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-837-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-837-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
The relationship between water isotope ratios and temperature is investigated in precipitation snow at Vostok and Dome C, as well as in surface snow along traverses. The temporal slope of the linear regression for the precipitation is smaller than the geographical slope. Thus, using the latter could lead to an underestimation of past temperature changes. The processes active at remote sites (best glacial analogs) are explored through a combination of water isotopes in short snow pits.
William Maslanka, Leena Leppänen, Anna Kontu, Mel Sandells, Juha Lemmetyinen, Martin Schneebeli, Martin Proksch, Margret Matzl, Henna-Reetta Hannula, and Robert Gurney
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 5, 85–94, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-5-85-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-5-85-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
The paper presents the initial findings of the Arctic Snow Microstructure Experiment in Sodankylä, Finland. The experiment observed the microwave emission of extracted snow slabs on absorbing and reflecting bases. Snow parameters were recorded to simulate the emission upon those bases using two different emission models. The smallest simulation errors were associated with the absorbing base at vertical polarization. The observations will be used for the development of snow emission modelling.
Pirmin Philipp Ebner, Martin Schneebeli, and Aldo Steinfeld
The Cryosphere, 10, 791–797, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-791-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-791-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Changes of the porous ice structure were observed in a snow sample. Sublimation occurred due to the slight undersaturation of the incoming air into the warmer ice matrix. Diffusion of water vapor opposite to the direction of the temperature gradient counteracted the mass transport of advection. Therefore, the total net ice change was negligible, leading to a constant porosity profile. However, the strong recrystallization of water molecules in snow may impact its isotopic or chemical content.
Martin Proksch, Nick Rutter, Charles Fierz, and Martin Schneebeli
The Cryosphere, 10, 371–384, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-371-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-371-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Density is a fundamental property of porous media such as snow. During the MicroSnow Davos 2014 workshop, different approaches (box-, wedge- and cylinder-type density cutters, micro-computed tomography) to measure snow density were applied in a controlled laboratory environment and in the field. In general, results suggest that snow densities measured by different methods agree within 9 %. However, the density profiles resolved by the measurement methods differed considerably.
A. Bailey, D. Noone, M. Berkelhammer, H. C. Steen-Larsen, and P. Sato
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 8, 4521–4538, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-8-4521-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-8-4521-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
This study evaluates the long-term stability of concentration-dependent and drift-induced biases in three water vapor isotopic analyzers deployed at two remote field sites. Despite limited data at low humidity and measurement hysteresis, inaccuracies in the concentration-dependence characterization are small, and the bias shows no change with isotope ratio or directional drift. Changes in measurement repeatability that are not characterized by linear drift estimates are a larger source of error.
M. Proksch, C. Mätzler, A. Wiesmann, J. Lemmetyinen, M. Schwank, H. Löwe, and M. Schneebeli
Geosci. Model Dev., 8, 2611–2626, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-8-2611-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/gmd-8-2611-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
The measurement of snow properties on global scale relies on microwave remote sensing data. The interpretation of the data is however challenging. Here we introduce MEMLS3&a, an extension of the snow emission model MEMLS, to include a backscatter model for active microwave remote sensing. In MEMLS3&a, snow input parameters can be derived by objective measurement methods, which avoids fitting the scattering efficiency of snow. The model is validated with combined active and passive measurements.
J.-L. Tison, M. de Angelis, G. Littot, E. Wolff, H. Fischer, M. Hansson, M. Bigler, R. Udisti, A. Wegner, J. Jouzel, B. Stenni, S. Johnsen, V. Masson-Delmotte, A. Landais, V. Lipenkov, L. Loulergue, J.-M. Barnola, J.-R. Petit, B. Delmonte, G. Dreyfus, D. Dahl-Jensen, G. Durand, B. Bereiter, A. Schilt, R. Spahni, K. Pol, R. Lorrain, R. Souchez, and D. Samyn
The Cryosphere, 9, 1633–1648, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1633-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1633-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
The oldest paleoclimatic information is buried within the lowermost layers of deep ice cores. It is therefore essential to judge how deep these records remain unaltered. We study the bottom 60 meters of the EPICA Dome C ice core from central Antarctica to show that the paleoclimatic signal is only affected at the small scale (decimeters) in terms of some of the global ice properties. However our data suggest that the time scale has been considerably distorted by mechanical stretching.
V. Masson-Delmotte, H. C. Steen-Larsen, P. Ortega, D. Swingedouw, T. Popp, B. M. Vinther, H. Oerter, A. E. Sveinbjornsdottir, H. Gudlaugsdottir, J. E. Box, S. Falourd, X. Fettweis, H. Gallée, E. Garnier, V. Gkinis, J. Jouzel, A. Landais, B. Minster, N. Paradis, A. Orsi, C. Risi, M. Werner, and J. W. C. White
The Cryosphere, 9, 1481–1504, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1481-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1481-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
The deep NEEM ice core provides the oldest Greenland ice core record, enabling improved understanding of the response of ice core records to local climate. Here, we focus on shallow ice cores providing a stack record of accumulation and water-stable isotopes spanning the past centuries. For the first time, we document the ongoing warming in a Greenland ice core. By combining our data with other Greenland ice cores and model results, we characterise the spatio-temporal patterns of variability.
P. P. Ebner, M. Schneebeli, and A. Steinfeld
The Cryosphere, 9, 1363–1371, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1363-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1363-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
Time-lapse X-ray microtomography was used to investigate the structural dynamics of isothermal snow metamorphism exposed to an advective airflow and possible effects on natural snowpacks were discussed. The results showed that isothermal advection with saturated air have no influence on the coarsening rate that is typical for isothermal snow metamorphism. It is driven by sublimation-deposition caused by Kelvin effect and is the limiting factor independently of the transport regime in the pores.
F. Parrenin, S. Fujita, A. Abe-Ouchi, K. Kawamura, V. Masson-Delmotte, H. Motoyama, F. Saito, M. Severi, B. Stenni, R. Uemura, and E. Wolff
Clim. Past Discuss., https://doi.org/10.5194/cpd-11-377-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/cpd-11-377-2015, 2015
Revised manuscript has not been submitted
J. Schwaab, M. Bavay, E. Davin, F. Hagedorn, F. Hüsler, M. Lehning, M. Schneebeli, E. Thürig, and P. Bebi
Biogeosciences, 12, 467–487, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-467-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-12-467-2015, 2015
S. Schleef, H. Löwe, and M. Schneebeli
The Cryosphere, 8, 1825–1838, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-1825-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-8-1825-2014, 2014
P. P. Ebner, S. A. Grimm, M. Schneebeli, and A. Steinfeld
Geosci. Instrum. Method. Data Syst., 3, 179–185, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-3-179-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-3-179-2014, 2014
H. C. Steen-Larsen, A. E. Sveinbjörnsdottir, A. J. Peters, V. Masson-Delmotte, M. P. Guishard, G. Hsiao, J. Jouzel, D. Noone, J. K. Warren, and J. W. C. White
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 7741–7756, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-7741-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-7741-2014, 2014
V. Bastrikov, H. C. Steen-Larsen, V. Masson-Delmotte, K. Gribanov, O. Cattani, J. Jouzel, and V. Zakharov
Atmos. Meas. Tech., 7, 1763–1776, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-7-1763-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-7-1763-2014, 2014
J.-L. Bonne, V. Masson-Delmotte, O. Cattani, M. Delmotte, C. Risi, H. Sodemann, and H. C. Steen-Larsen
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 4419–4439, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-4419-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-4419-2014, 2014
H. C. Steen-Larsen, V. Masson-Delmotte, M. Hirabayashi, R. Winkler, K. Satow, F. Prié, N. Bayou, E. Brun, K. M. Cuffey, D. Dahl-Jensen, M. Dumont, M. Guillevic, S. Kipfstuhl, A. Landais, T. Popp, C. Risi, K. Steffen, B. Stenni, and A. E. Sveinbjörnsdottír
Clim. Past, 10, 377–392, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-10-377-2014, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-10-377-2014, 2014
H. Löwe, F. Riche, and M. Schneebeli
The Cryosphere, 7, 1473–1480, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1473-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-7-1473-2013, 2013
T. Bartels-Rausch, S. N. Wren, S. Schreiber, F. Riche, M. Schneebeli, and M. Ammann
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 6727–6739, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-6727-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-6727-2013, 2013
H. C. Steen-Larsen, S. J. Johnsen, V. Masson-Delmotte, B. Stenni, C. Risi, H. Sodemann, D. Balslev-Clausen, T. Blunier, D. Dahl-Jensen, M. D. Ellehøj, S. Falourd, A. Grindsted, V. Gkinis, J. Jouzel, T. Popp, S. Sheldon, S. B. Simonsen, J. Sjolte, J. P. Steffensen, P. Sperlich, A. E. Sveinbjörnsdóttir, B. M. Vinther, and J. W. C. White
Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 4815–4828, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-4815-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-4815-2013, 2013
P. Mathiot, H. Goosse, X. Crosta, B. Stenni, M. Braida, H. Renssen, C. J. Van Meerbeeck, V. Masson-Delmotte, A. Mairesse, and S. Dubinkina
Clim. Past, 9, 887–901, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-887-2013, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-9-887-2013, 2013
Related subject area
Snow Physics
Spatial distribution of vertical density and microstructure profiles in near-surface firn around Dome Fuji, Antarctica
Seismic attenuation in Antarctic firn
Temporospatial variability of snow's thermal conductivity on Arctic sea ice
A rigorous approach to the specific surface area evolution in snow during temperature gradient metamorphism
Heterogeneous grain growth and vertical mass transfer within a snow layer under a temperature gradient
Impact of the sampling procedure on the specific surface area of snow measurements with the IceCube
A microstructure-based parameterization of the effective, anisotropic elasticity tensor of snow, firn, and bubbly ice
Wind conditions for snow cornice formation in a wind tunnel
Stochastic analysis of micro-cone penetration tests in snow
A generalized photon-tracking approach to simulate spectral snow albedo and transmittance using X-ray microtomography and geometric optics
Grain-size evolution controls the accumulation dependence of modelled firn thickness
Coherent backscatter enhancement in bistatic Ku- and X-band radar observations of dry snow
Effect of snowfall on changes in relative seismic velocity measured by ambient noise correlation
Orientation selective grain sublimation–deposition in snow under temperature gradient metamorphism observed with diffraction contrast tomography
Recent observations of superimposed ice and snow ice on sea ice in the northwestern Weddell Sea
Experimental and model-based investigation of the links between snow bidirectional reflectance and snow microstructure
Impact of water vapor diffusion and latent heat on the effective thermal conductivity of snow
Enhancement of snow albedo reduction and radiative forcing due to coated black carbon in snow
An exploratory modelling study of perennial firn aquifers in the Antarctic Peninsula for the period 1979–2016
Macroscopic water vapor diffusion is not enhanced in snow
Snow albedo sensitivity to macroscopic surface roughness using a new ray-tracing model
A model for French-press experiments of dry snow compaction
Identification of blowing snow particles in images from a Multi-Angle Snowflake Camera
Modeling snow slab avalanches caused by weak-layer failure – Part 1: Slabs on compliant and collapsible weak layers
Modeling snow slab avalanches caused by weak-layer failure – Part 2: Coupled mixed-mode criterion for skier-triggered anticracks
Modeling the evolution of the structural anisotropy of snow
Motion of dust particles in dry snow under temperature gradient metamorphism
Influence of light-absorbing particles on snow spectral irradiance profiles
Thermal conductivity of firn at Lomonosovfonna, Svalbard, derived from subsurface temperature measurements
Saharan dust events in the European Alps: role in snowmelt and geochemical characterization
On the suitability of the Thorpe–Mason model for calculating sublimation of saltating snow
The influence of layering and barometric pumping on firn air transport in a 2-D model
Surface formation, preservation, and history of low-porosity crusts at the WAIS Divide site, West Antarctica
The significance of vertical moisture diffusion on drifting snow sublimation near snow surface
Comparison of different methods to retrieve optical-equivalent snow grain size in central Antarctica
A multilayer physically based snowpack model simulating direct and indirect radiative impacts of light-absorbing impurities in snow
A multiphysical ensemble system of numerical snow modelling
Process-level model evaluation: a snow and heat transfer metric
Near-surface snow particle dynamics from particle tracking velocimetry and turbulence measurements during alpine blowing snow storms
Relating optical and microwave grain metrics of snow: the relevance of grain shape
Refinement of the ice absorption spectrum in the visible using radiance profile measurements in Antarctic snow
Anisotropy of seasonal snow measured by polarimetric phase differences in radar time series
Sensitivity of snow density and specific surface area measured by microtomography to different image processing algorithms
Metamorphism during temperature gradient with undersaturated advective airflow in a snow sample
Measurements and modelling of snow particle size and shortwave infrared albedo over a melting Antarctic ice sheet
Microwave scattering coefficient of snow in MEMLS and DMRT-ML revisited: the relevance of sticky hard spheres and tomography-based estimates of stickiness
Microstructure-based modeling of snow mechanics: a discrete element approach
A macroscale mixture theory analysis of deposition and sublimation rates during heat and mass transfer in dry snow
Tomography-based monitoring of isothermal snow metamorphism under advective conditions
Parameterization of single-scattering properties of snow
Ryo Inoue, Shuji Fujita, Kenji Kawamura, Ikumi Oyabu, Fumio Nakazawa, Hideaki Motoyama, and Teruo Aoki
The Cryosphere, 18, 425–449, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-425-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-425-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
We measured the density, microstructural anisotropy, and specific surface area (SSA) of six firn cores collected within 60 km of Dome Fuji, Antarctica. We found a lack of significant density increase, development of vertically elongated microstructures, and a rapid decrease in SSA in the top few meters due to the metamorphism driven by water vapor transport under a temperature gradient. We highlight the significant spatial variability in the properties, which depends on the accumulation rate.
Stefano Picotti, José M. Carcione, and Mauro Pavan
The Cryosphere, 18, 169–186, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-169-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-169-2024, 2024
Short summary
Short summary
A physical explanation of the seismic attenuation in the polar snow and ice masses is essential to gaining insight into the ice sheet and deeper geological formations. We estimate the P- and S-wave attenuation profiles of the Whillans Ice Stream from the spectral analysis of three-component active-source seismic data. The firn and ice quality factors are then modeled using a rock-physics theory that combines White's mesoscopic attenuation theory of interlayer flow with that of Biot/squirt flow.
Amy R. Macfarlane, Henning Löwe, Lucille Gimenes, David N. Wagner, Ruzica Dadic, Rafael Ottersberg, Stefan Hämmerle, and Martin Schneebeli
The Cryosphere, 17, 5417–5434, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-5417-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-5417-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Snow acts as an insulating blanket on Arctic sea ice, keeping the underlying ice "warm", relative to the atmosphere. Knowing the snow's thermal conductivity is essential for understanding winter ice growth. During the MOSAiC expedition, we measured the thermal conductivity of snow. We found spatial and vertical variability to overpower any temporal variability or dependency on underlying ice type and the thermal resistance to be directly influenced by snow height.
Anna Braun, Kévin Fourteau, and Henning Löwe
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-1947, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-1947, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The specific surface of snow dictates key physical properties and continuously evolves in natural snowpacks, referred to as metamorphism. This work develops a rigorous, physical model for this evolution, which is able to reproduce X-ray tomography measurements without using unphysical tuning parameters. Our results emphasize that snow crystal growth on micrometer scales ultimately controls the pace of metamorphism.
Lisa Bouvet, Neige Calonne, Frédéric Flin, and Christian Geindreau
The Cryosphere, 17, 3553–3573, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3553-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-3553-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
This study presents two new experiments of temperature gradient metamorphism in a snow layer using tomographic time series and focusing on the vertical extent. The results highlight two little known phenomena: the development of morphological vertical heterogeneities from an initial uniform layer, which is attributed to the temperature range and the vapor pressure distribution, and the quantification of the mass loss at the base caused by the vertical vapor fluxes and the dry lower boundary.
Julia Martin and Martin Schneebeli
The Cryosphere, 17, 1723–1734, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1723-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-1723-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
The grain size of snow determines how light is reflected and other physical properties. The IceCube measures snow grain size at the specific near-infrared wavelength of 1320 nm. In our study, the preparation of snow samples for the IceCube creates a thin layer of small particles. Comparisons of the grain size with computed tomography, particle counting and numerical simulation confirm the aforementioned observation. We conclude that measurements at this wavelength underestimate the grain size.
Kavitha Sundu, Johannes Freitag, Kévin Fourteau, and Henning Löwe
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-220, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2023-220, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Ice crystals often show a rod-like, vertical orientation in snow and firn, they are said to be anisotropic. The stiffness in vertical direction therefore differs from the horizontal which e.g. impacts the propagation of seismic waves. To quantify this anisotropy we conducted finite element simulations of 395 snow, firn, and ice core microstructures obtained from X-ray tomography. From the results we derived a parametrization that may be employed for advanced seismic studies in polar regions.
Hongxiang Yu, Guang Li, Benjamin Walter, Michael Lehning, Jie Zhang, and Ning Huang
The Cryosphere, 17, 639–651, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-639-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-639-2023, 2023
Short summary
Short summary
Snow cornices lead to the potential risk of causing snow avalanche hazards, which are still unknown so far. We carried out a wind tunnel experiment in a cold lab to investigate the environmental conditions for snow cornice accretion recorded by a camera. The length growth rate of the cornices reaches a maximum for wind speeds approximately 40 % higher than the threshold wind speed. Experimental results improve our understanding of the cornice formation process.
Pyei Phyo Lin, Isabel Peinke, Pascal Hagenmuller, Matthias Wächter, M. Reza Rahimi Tabar, and Joachim Peinke
The Cryosphere, 16, 4811–4822, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4811-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4811-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Characterization of layers of snowpack with highly resolved micro-cone penetration tests leads to detailed fluctuating signals. We used advanced stochastic analysis to differentiate snow types by interpreting the signals as a mixture of continuous and discontinuous random fluctuations. These two types of fluctuation seem to correspond to different mechanisms of drag force generation during the experiments. The proposed methodology provides new insights into the characterization of snow layers.
Theodore Letcher, Julie Parno, Zoe Courville, Lauren Farnsworth, and Jason Olivier
The Cryosphere, 16, 4343–4361, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4343-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-4343-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
We present a radiative transfer model that uses ray tracing to determine optical properties from computer-generated 3D renderings of snow resolved at the microscale and to simulate snow spectral reflection and transmission for visible and near-infrared light. We expand ray-tracing techniques applied to sub-1 cm3 snow samples to model an entire snowpack column. The model is able to reproduce known snow surface optical properties, and simulations compare well against field observations.
Jonathan Kingslake, Robert Skarbek, Elizabeth Case, and Christine McCarthy
The Cryosphere, 16, 3413–3430, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3413-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3413-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
Firn is snow that has persisted for at least 1 full year on the surface of a glacier or ice sheet. It is an intermediate substance between snow and glacial ice. Firn compacts into glacial ice due to the weight of overlying snow and firn. The rate at which it compacts and the rate at which it is buried control how thick the firn layer is. We explore how this thickness depends on the rate of snow fall and how this dependence is controlled by the size of snow grains at the ice sheet surface.
Marcel Stefko, Silvan Leinss, Othmar Frey, and Irena Hajnsek
The Cryosphere, 16, 2859–2879, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2859-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-2859-2022, 2022
Short summary
Short summary
The coherent backscatter opposition effect can enhance the intensity of radar backscatter from dry snow by up to a factor of 2. Despite widespread use of radar backscatter data by snow scientists, this effect has received notably little attention. For the first time, we characterize this effect for the Earth's snow cover with bistatic radar experiments from ground and from space. We are also able to retrieve scattering and absorbing lengths of snow at Ku- and X-band frequencies.
Antoine Guillemot, Alec van Herwijnen, Eric Larose, Stephanie Mayer, and Laurent Baillet
The Cryosphere, 15, 5805–5817, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5805-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-5805-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
Ambient noise correlation is a broadly used method in seismology to monitor tiny changes in subsurface properties. Some environmental forcings may influence this method, including snow. During one winter season, we studied this snow effect on seismic velocity of the medium, recorded by a pair of seismic sensors. We detected and modeled a measurable effect during early snowfalls: the fresh new snow layer modifies rigidity and density of the medium, thus decreasing the recorded seismic velocity.
Rémi Granger, Frédéric Flin, Wolfgang Ludwig, Ismail Hammad, and Christian Geindreau
The Cryosphere, 15, 4381–4398, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4381-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4381-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
In this study on temperature gradient metamorphism in snow, we investigate the hypothesis that there exists a favourable crystal orientation relative to the temperature gradient. We measured crystallographic orientations of the grains and their microstructural evolution during metamorphism using in situ time-lapse diffraction contrast tomography. Faceted crystals appear during the evolution, and we observe higher sublimation–deposition rates for grains with their c axis in the horizontal plane.
Stefanie Arndt, Christian Haas, Hanno Meyer, Ilka Peeken, and Thomas Krumpen
The Cryosphere, 15, 4165–4178, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4165-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-4165-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We present here snow and ice core data from the northwestern Weddell Sea in late austral summer 2019, which allow insights into possible reasons for the recent low summer sea ice extent in the Weddell Sea. We suggest that the fraction of superimposed ice and snow ice can be used here as a sensitive indicator. However, snow and ice properties were not exceptional, suggesting that the summer surface energy balance and related seasonal transition of snow properties have changed little in the past.
Marie Dumont, Frederic Flin, Aleksey Malinka, Olivier Brissaud, Pascal Hagenmuller, Philippe Lapalus, Bernard Lesaffre, Anne Dufour, Neige Calonne, Sabine Rolland du Roscoat, and Edward Ando
The Cryosphere, 15, 3921–3948, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3921-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-3921-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The role of snow microstructure in snow optical properties is only partially understood despite the importance of snow optical properties for the Earth system. We present a dataset combining bidirectional reflectance measurements and 3D images of snow. We show that the snow reflectance is adequately simulated using the distribution of the ice chord lengths in the snow microstructure and that the impact of the morphological type of snow is especially important when ice is highly absorptive.
Kévin Fourteau, Florent Domine, and Pascal Hagenmuller
The Cryosphere, 15, 2739–2755, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2739-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2739-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
The thermal conductivity of snow is an important physical property governing the thermal regime of a snowpack and its substrate. We show that it strongly depends on the kinetics of water vapor sublimation and that previous experimental data suggest a rather fast kinetics. In such a case, neglecting water vapor leads to an underestimation of thermal conductivity by up to 50 % for light snow. Moreover, the diffusivity of water vapor in snow is then directly related to the thermal conductivity.
Wei Pu, Tenglong Shi, Jiecan Cui, Yang Chen, Yue Zhou, and Xin Wang
The Cryosphere, 15, 2255–2272, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2255-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-2255-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
We have explicitly resolved optical properties of coated BC in snow for explaining complex enhancement of snow albedo reduction due to coating effect in real environments. The parameterizations are developed for climate models to improve the understanding of BC in snow on global climate. We demonstrated that the contribution of BC coating effect to snow light absorption has exceeded dust over north China and will significantly contribute to the retreat of Arctic sea ice and Tibetan glaciers.
J. Melchior van Wessem, Christian R. Steger, Nander Wever, and Michiel R. van den Broeke
The Cryosphere, 15, 695–714, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-695-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-695-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
This study presents the first modelled estimates of perennial firn aquifers (PFAs) in Antarctica. PFAs are subsurface meltwater bodies that do not refreeze in winter due to the isolating effects of the snow they are buried underneath. They were first identified in Greenland, but conditions for their existence are also present in the Antarctic Peninsula. These PFAs can have important effects on meltwater retention, ice shelf stability, and, consequently, sea level rise.
Kévin Fourteau, Florent Domine, and Pascal Hagenmuller
The Cryosphere, 15, 389–406, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-389-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-15-389-2021, 2021
Short summary
Short summary
There has been a long controversy to determine whether the effective diffusion coefficient of water vapor in snow is superior to that in free air. Using theory and numerical modeling, we show that while water vapor diffuses more than inert gases thanks to its interaction with the ice, the effective diffusion coefficient of water vapor in snow remains inferior to that in free air. This suggests that other transport mechanisms are responsible for the large vapor fluxes observed in some snowpacks.
Fanny Larue, Ghislain Picard, Laurent Arnaud, Inès Ollivier, Clément Delcourt, Maxim Lamare, François Tuzet, Jesus Revuelto, and Marie Dumont
The Cryosphere, 14, 1651–1672, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1651-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1651-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
The effect of surface roughness on snow albedo is often overlooked,
although a small change in albedo may strongly affect the surface energy
budget. By carving artificial roughness in an initially smooth snowpack,
we highlight albedo reductions of 0.03–0.04 at 700 nm and 0.06–0.10 at 1000 nm. A model using photon transport is developed to compute albedo considering roughness and applied to understand the impact of roughness as a function of snow properties and illumination conditions.
Colin R. Meyer, Kaitlin M. Keegan, Ian Baker, and Robert L. Hawley
The Cryosphere, 14, 1449–1458, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1449-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-1449-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
We describe snow compaction laboratory data with a new mathematical model. Using a compression device that is similar to a French press with snow instead of coffee grounds, Wang and Baker (2013) compacted numerous snow samples of different densities at a constant velocity to determine the force required for snow compaction. Our mathematical model for compaction includes airflow through snow and predicts the required force, in agreement with the experimental data.
Mathieu Schaer, Christophe Praz, and Alexis Berne
The Cryosphere, 14, 367–384, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-367-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-367-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Wind and precipitation often occur together, making the distinction between particles coming from the atmosphere and those blown by the wind difficult. This is however a crucial task to accurately close the surface mass balance. We propose an algorithm based on Gaussian mixture models to separate blowing snow and precipitation in images collected by a Multi-Angle Snowflake Camera (MASC). The algorithm is trained and (positively) evaluated using data collected in the Swiss Alps and in Antarctica.
Philipp L. Rosendahl and Philipp Weißgraeber
The Cryosphere, 14, 115–130, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-115-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-115-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Dry-snow slab avalanche release is preceded by a fracture process within the snowpack. Recognizing weak layer collapse as an integral part of the fracture process is crucial and explains phenomena such as whumpf sounds and remote triggering of avalanches from low-angle terrain. In this first part of the two-part work we propose a novel closed-form analytical model for a snowpack that provides a highly efficient and precise analysis of the mechanical response of a loaded snowpack.
Philipp L. Rosendahl and Philipp Weißgraeber
The Cryosphere, 14, 131–145, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-131-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-131-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
Dry-snow slab avalanche release is preceded by a fracture process within the snowpack. Recognizing weak layer collapse as an integral part of the fracture process is crucial and explains phenomena such as whumpf sounds and remote triggering of avalanches from low-angle terrain. In this second part of the two-part work we propose a novel mixed-mode coupled stress and energy failure criterion for nucleation of weak layer failure due to external loading of the snowpack.
Silvan Leinss, Henning Löwe, Martin Proksch, and Anna Kontu
The Cryosphere, 14, 51–75, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-51-2020, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-14-51-2020, 2020
Short summary
Short summary
The anisotropy of the snow microstructure, given by horizontally aligned ice crystals and vertically interlinked crystal chains, is a key quantity to understand mechanical, dielectric, and thermodynamical properties of snow. We present a model which describes the temporal evolution of the anisotropy. The model is driven by snow temperature, temperature gradient, and the strain rate. The model is calibrated by polarimetric radar data (CPD) and validated by computer tomographic 3-D snow images.
Pascal Hagenmuller, Frederic Flin, Marie Dumont, François Tuzet, Isabel Peinke, Philippe Lapalus, Anne Dufour, Jacques Roulle, Laurent Pézard, Didier Voisin, Edward Ando, Sabine Rolland du Roscoat, and Pascal Charrier
The Cryosphere, 13, 2345–2359, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2345-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2345-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Light–absorbing particles (LAPs, e.g. dust or black carbon) in snow are a potent climate forcing agent. Their presence darkens the snow surface and leads to higher solar energy absorption. Several studies have quantified this radiative impact by assuming that LAPs were motionless in dry snow, without any clear evidence of this assumption. Using time–lapse X–ray tomography, we show that temperature gradient metamorphism of snow induces downward motion of LAPs, leading to self–cleaning of snow.
Francois Tuzet, Marie Dumont, Laurent Arnaud, Didier Voisin, Maxim Lamare, Fanny Larue, Jesus Revuelto, and Ghislain Picard
The Cryosphere, 13, 2169–2187, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2169-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-2169-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Here we present a novel method to estimate the impurity content (e.g. black carbon or mineral dust) in Alpine snow based on measurements of light extinction profiles. This method is proposed as an alternative to chemical measurements, allowing rapid retrievals of vertical concentrations of impurities in the snowpack. In addition, the results provide a better understanding of the impact of impurities on visible light extinction in snow.
Sergey Marchenko, Gong Cheng, Per Lötstedt, Veijo Pohjola, Rickard Pettersson, Ward van Pelt, and Carleen Reijmer
The Cryosphere, 13, 1843–1859, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1843-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1843-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
Thermal conductivity (k) of firn at Lomonosovfonna, Svalbard, is estimated using measured temperature evolution and density. The optimized k values (0.2–1.6 W (m K)−1) increase downwards and over time and are most sensitive to systematic errors in measured temperature values and their depths, particularly in the lower part of the profile. Compared to the density-based parameterizations, derived k values are consistently larger, suggesting a faster conductive heat exchange in firn.
Biagio Di Mauro, Roberto Garzonio, Micol Rossini, Gianluca Filippa, Paolo Pogliotti, Marta Galvagno, Umberto Morra di Cella, Mirco Migliavacca, Giovanni Baccolo, Massimiliano Clemenza, Barbara Delmonte, Valter Maggi, Marie Dumont, François Tuzet, Matthieu Lafaysse, Samuel Morin, Edoardo Cremonese, and Roberto Colombo
The Cryosphere, 13, 1147–1165, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1147-2019, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-13-1147-2019, 2019
Short summary
Short summary
The snow albedo reduction due to dust from arid regions alters the melting dynamics of the snowpack, resulting in earlier snowmelt. We estimate up to 38 days of anticipated snow disappearance for a season that was characterized by a strong dust deposition event. This process has a series of further impacts. For example, earlier snowmelts may alter the hydrological cycle in the Alps, induce higher sensitivity to late summer drought, and finally impact vegetation and animal phenology.
Varun Sharma, Francesco Comola, and Michael Lehning
The Cryosphere, 12, 3499–3509, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3499-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-3499-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
The Thorpe-Mason (TM) model describes how an ice grain sublimates during aeolian transport. We revisit this classic model using simple numerical experiments and discover that for many common scenarios, the model is likely to underestimate the amount of ice loss. Extending this result to drifting and blowing snow using high-resolution turbulent flow simulations, the study shows that current estimates for ice loss due to sublimation in regions such as Antarctica need to be significantly updated.
Benjamin Birner, Christo Buizert, Till J. W. Wagner, and Jeffrey P. Severinghaus
The Cryosphere, 12, 2021–2037, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2021-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-2021-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Ancient air enclosed in bubbles of the Antarctic ice sheet is a key source of information about the Earth's past climate. However, a range of physical processes in the snow layer atop an ice sheet may change the trapped air's chemical composition before it is occluded in the ice. We developed the first detailed 2-D computer simulation of these processes and found a new method to improve the reconstruction of past climate from air in ice cores bubbles.
John M. Fegyveresi, Richard B. Alley, Atsuhiro Muto, Anaïs J. Orsi, and Matthew K. Spencer
The Cryosphere, 12, 325–341, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-325-2018, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-12-325-2018, 2018
Short summary
Short summary
Observations at the WAIS Divide site in West Antarctica show that near-surface snow is strongly altered by weather-related processes, such as strong winds and temperature fluctuations, producing features that are recognizable within the WDC06A ice core. Specifically, over 10 000 prominent crusts were observed in the upper 560 m of the core. We show that these crusts develop more often in summers, during relatively low-wind, low-humidity, clear-sky periods with intense daytime sunshine.
Ning Huang and Guanglei Shi
The Cryosphere, 11, 3011–3021, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-3011-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-3011-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Snow is an important part of the cryosphere, and blowing snow sublimation is an important method to change the snow distribution. However, in the previous studies blowing snow sublimation near surface was ignored. Herein, we built a blowing snow sublimation model to study the sublimation in near-surface region. The results showed that the mass of snow sublimation near surface accounted for even more than half of the total. Therefore, blowing snow sublimation near surface cannot be neglected.
Tim Carlsen, Gerit Birnbaum, André Ehrlich, Johannes Freitag, Georg Heygster, Larysa Istomina, Sepp Kipfstuhl, Anaïs Orsi, Michael Schäfer, and Manfred Wendisch
The Cryosphere, 11, 2727–2741, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2727-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2727-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
The optical size of snow grains (ropt) affects the reflectivity of snow surfaces and thus the local surface energy budget in particular in polar regions. The temporal evolution of ropt retrieved from ground-based, airborne, and spaceborne remote sensing could reproduce optical in situ measurements for a 2-month period in central Antarctica (2013/14). The presented validation study provided a unique testbed for retrievals of ropt under Antarctic conditions where in situ data are scarce.
Francois Tuzet, Marie Dumont, Matthieu Lafaysse, Ghislain Picard, Laurent Arnaud, Didier Voisin, Yves Lejeune, Luc Charrois, Pierre Nabat, and Samuel Morin
The Cryosphere, 11, 2633–2653, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2633-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-2633-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Light-absorbing impurities deposited on snow, such as soot or dust, strongly modify its evolution. We implemented impurity deposition and evolution in a detailed snowpack model, thereby expanding the reach of such models into addressing the subtle interplays between snow physics and impurities' optical properties. Model results were evaluated based on innovative field observations at an Alpine site. This allows future investigations in the fields of climate, hydrology and avalanche prediction.
Matthieu Lafaysse, Bertrand Cluzet, Marie Dumont, Yves Lejeune, Vincent Vionnet, and Samuel Morin
The Cryosphere, 11, 1173–1198, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-1173-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-1173-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
Physically based multilayer snowpack models suffer from various modelling errors. To represent these errors, we built the new multiphysical ensemble system ESCROC by implementing new representations of different physical processes in a coupled multilayer ground/snowpack model. This system is a promising tool to integrate snow modelling errors in ensemble forecasting and ensemble assimilation systems in support of avalanche hazard forecasting and other snowpack modelling applications.
Andrew G. Slater, David M. Lawrence, and Charles D. Koven
The Cryosphere, 11, 989–996, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-989-2017, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-989-2017, 2017
Short summary
Short summary
This work defines a metric for evaluation of a specific model snow process, namely, heat transfer through snow into soil. Heat transfer through snow regulates the difference in air temperature versus soil temperature. Accurate representation of the snow heat transfer process is critically important for accurate representation of the current and future state of permafrost. Utilizing this metric, we can clearly identify models that can and cannot reasonably represent snow heat transfer.
Nikolas O. Aksamit and John W. Pomeroy
The Cryosphere, 10, 3043–3062, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-3043-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-3043-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
The first implementation of particle tracking velocimetry in outdoor alpine blowing snow has both provided new insight on intermittent snow particle transport initiation and entrainment in the dense near-surface "creep" layer whilst also confirming some wind tunnel observations. Environmental PTV has shown to be a viable avenue for furthering our understanding of the coupling of the atmospheric boundary layer turbulence and blowing snow transport.
Quirine Krol and Henning Löwe
The Cryosphere, 10, 2847–2863, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-2847-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-2847-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Optical and microwave modelling of snow involve different metrics of "grain size" and existing, empirical relations between them are subject to considerable scatter. We introduce two objectively defined metrics of grain shape, derived from micro-computed tomography images, that lead to improved statistical models between the different grain metrics. Our results allow to assess the relevance of grain shape in both fields on common grounds.
Ghislain Picard, Quentin Libois, and Laurent Arnaud
The Cryosphere, 10, 2655–2672, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-2655-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-2655-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
The absorption of visible light in ice is very weak but its precise value is unknown. By measuring the profile of light intensity in snow, Warren and Brand (2006) deduced that light is attenuated by a factor 2 per kilometer in pure ice at a wavelength of 400 nm. We replicated their experiment on a large number of samples and found that ice absorption is at least 10 times stronger. The paper explores various potential physical and statistical biases that could impact the experiment.
Silvan Leinss, Henning Löwe, Martin Proksch, Juha Lemmetyinen, Andreas Wiesmann, and Irena Hajnsek
The Cryosphere, 10, 1771–1797, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-1771-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-1771-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Four years of anisotropy measurements of seasonal snow are presented in the paper. The anisotropy was measured every 4 h with a ground-based polarimetric radar. An electromagnetic model has been developed to measured the anisotropy with radar instruments from ground and from space. The anisotropic permittivity was derived with Maxwell–Garnett-type mixing formulas which are shown to be equivalent to series expansions of the permittivity tensor based on spatial correlation function of snow.
Pascal Hagenmuller, Margret Matzl, Guillaume Chambon, and Martin Schneebeli
The Cryosphere, 10, 1039–1054, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-1039-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-1039-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
The paper focuses on the characterization of snow microstructure with X-ray microtomography, a technique that is progressively becoming the standard for snow characterization. In particular, it rigorously investigates how the image processing algorithms affect the subsequent microstructure characterization in terms of density and specific surface area. From this analysis, practical recommendations concerning the processing X-ray tomographic images of snow are provided.
Pirmin Philipp Ebner, Martin Schneebeli, and Aldo Steinfeld
The Cryosphere, 10, 791–797, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-791-2016, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-791-2016, 2016
Short summary
Short summary
Changes of the porous ice structure were observed in a snow sample. Sublimation occurred due to the slight undersaturation of the incoming air into the warmer ice matrix. Diffusion of water vapor opposite to the direction of the temperature gradient counteracted the mass transport of advection. Therefore, the total net ice change was negligible, leading to a constant porosity profile. However, the strong recrystallization of water molecules in snow may impact its isotopic or chemical content.
R. Pirazzini, P. Räisänen, T. Vihma, M. Johansson, and E.-M. Tastula
The Cryosphere, 9, 2357–2381, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-2357-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-2357-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
We illustrate a method to measure the size distribution of a snow particle metric from macro photos of snow particles. This snow particle metric corresponds well to the optically equivalent effective radius. Our results evidence the impact of grain shape on albedo, indicate that more than just one particle metric distribution is needed to characterize the snow scattering properties at all optical wavelengths, and suggest an impact of surface roughness on the shortwave infrared albedo.
H. Löwe and G. Picard
The Cryosphere, 9, 2101–2117, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-2101-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-2101-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
The paper establishes a theoretical link between two widely used microwave models for snow. The scattering formulations from both models are unified by reformulating their microstructure models in a common framework. The results show that the scattering formulations can be considered equivalent, if exactly the same microstructure model is used. The paper also provides a method to measure a hitherto unknown input parameter for the microwave models from tomography images of snow.
P. Hagenmuller, G. Chambon, and M. Naaim
The Cryosphere, 9, 1969–1982, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1969-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1969-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
This paper deals with a mechanical model that exploits a granular description of the snow microstructure. Its originality is that the geometry of the snow grains and of the inter-granular bonding system are explicitly defined from microtomographic data. It enables to model large deformations controlled by grain-rearrangements, which is of particular interest to study the collapse of weak layers or the characterization of the snowpack with an indenter.
A. C. Hansen and W. E. Foslien
The Cryosphere, 9, 1857–1878, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1857-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1857-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
We implement a continuum mixture theory to elucidate coupled heat and mass transfer phenomena occurring in a snow cover. The effects of mass transfer near the ground, near the surface including diurnal temperature effects, as well as adjacent to an ice crust are examined. The analysis requires an accurate assessment of thermal conductivity and the mass diffusion coefficient for snow. An analytical model for these parameters is developed, showing remarkable agreement with numerical models.
P. P. Ebner, M. Schneebeli, and A. Steinfeld
The Cryosphere, 9, 1363–1371, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1363-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1363-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
Time-lapse X-ray microtomography was used to investigate the structural dynamics of isothermal snow metamorphism exposed to an advective airflow and possible effects on natural snowpacks were discussed. The results showed that isothermal advection with saturated air have no influence on the coarsening rate that is typical for isothermal snow metamorphism. It is driven by sublimation-deposition caused by Kelvin effect and is the limiting factor independently of the transport regime in the pores.
P. Räisänen, A. Kokhanovsky, G. Guyot, O. Jourdan, and T. Nousiainen
The Cryosphere, 9, 1277–1301, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1277-2015, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1277-2015, 2015
Short summary
Short summary
While snow grains are distinctly non-spherical, spheres are often assumed in radiative transfer calculations. Here, angular scattering measurements for blowing snow are used to select an optically equivalent snow grain shape model. Parameterizations are then developed for the asymmetry parameter, single-scattering co-albedo and phase function of snow. The parameterizations will help to improve the treatment of snow in radiative transfer applications, including remote sensing and climate models.
Cited articles
Albert, M. R. and Hardy, J. P.: Ventilation experiments in a seasonal snow cover, in: Biogeochemistry of Seasonally Snow-Covered Catchments, IAHS Publ. 228, edited by: Tonnessen, K. A., Williams, M. W., and Tranter, M., IAHS Press, Wallingford, UK, 41–49, 1995.
Calonne, N., Geindreau, C., Flin, F., Morin, S., Lesaffre, B., Rolland du Roscoat, S., and Charrier, P.: 3-D image-based numerical computations of snow permeability: links to specific surface area, density, and microstructural anisotropy, The Cryosphere, 6, 939–951, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-6-939-2012, 2012.
Casado, M., Landais, A., Masson-Delmotte, V., Genthon, C., Kerstel, E., Kassi, S., Arnaud, L., Picard, G., Prie, F., Cattani, O., Steen-Larsen, H.-C., Vignon, E., and Cermak, P.: Continuous measurements of isotopic composition of water vapour on the East Antarctic Plateau, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 16, 8521–8538, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-16-8521-2016, 2016.
Ciais, P. and Jouzel, J.: Deuterium and oxygen 18 in precipitation: Isotopic model, including mixed-cloud processes, J. Geophys. Res., 99, 16793–16803, https://doi.org/10.1029/94JD00412, 1994.
Colbeck, S. C.: Air movement in snow due to windpumping, J. Glaciol., 35, 209–213, 1989.
Craig, H. and Gordon, L. I.: Deuterium and oxygen 18 variations in the ocean and marine atmosphere, in: Proc. Stable Isotopes in Oceanographic Studies and Paleotemperatures, edited by: Toniorgi, E., Spoleto, Italy, 9–130, 1964.
Cuffey, K. M. and Steig, E. J.: Isotopic diffusion in polar firn: implications for interpretation of seasonal climate parameters in ice-core records, with emphasis on central Greenland, J. Glaciol., 44, 273–284, 1998.
Cuffey, K. M., Alley, R. B., Grootes, P. M., Bolzan, J. M., and Anandakrishnan, S.: Calibration of the Delta-O-18 isotopic paleothermometer for central Greenland, using borehole temperatures, J. Glaciol., 40, 341–349, 1994.
Dansgaard, W.: Stable isotopes in precipitation, Tellus, 16, 436–468, 1964.
Ebner, P. P., Grimm, S., Schneebeli, M., and Steinfeld, A.: An instrumented sample holder for time-lapse micro-tomography measurements of snow under advective conditions, Geosci. Instrum. Meth., 3, 179–185, https://doi.org/10.5194/gi-3-179-2014, 2014.
Ebner, P. P., Schneebeli, M., and Steinfeld, A.: Tomography-based monitoring of isothermal snow metamorphism under advective conditions, The Cryosphere, 9, 1363–1371, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1363-2015, 2015a.
Ebner, P. P., Andreoli, C., Schneebeli, M., and Steinfeld, A.: Tomography-based characterization of ice–air interface dynamics of temperature gradient snow metamorphism under advective conditions, J. Geophys. Res.-Earth, 120, 2437–2451, https://doi.org/10.1002/2015JF003648, 2015b.
Ebner, P. P., Schneebeli, M., and Steinfeld, A.: Metamorphism during temperature gradient with undersaturated advective airflow in a snow sample, The Cryosphere, 10, 791–797, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-791-2016, 2016.
EPICA Members: Eight glacial cycles from an Antarctic ice core, Nature, 429, 623–628, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature02599, 2004.
Gjessing, Y. T.: The filtering effect of snow, in: Isotopes and Impurities in Snow and Ice Symposium, edited by: Oeschger, H., Ambach, W., Junge, C. E., Lorius, C., and Serebryanny, L., IASHAISH Publication, Dorking, 118, 199–203, 1977.
Grootes, P. M., Steig, E., and Stuiver, M.: Taylor Ice Dome study 1993–1994: an ice core to bedrock, Antarct. J. US, 29, 79–81, 1994.
Fisher, D. A. and Koerner, R.: The effect of wind on d(18O) and accumulation given an inferred record of seasonal d amplitude from the Agassiz ice cap, Ellesmere island, Canada, Ann. Glaciol., 10, 34–37, 1988.
Fisher, D. A. and Koerner, R.: Signal and noise in four ice-core records from the Agassiz ice cap, Ellesmere Island, Canada: details of the last millennium for stable isotopes, melt and solid conductivity, Holocene, 4, 113–120, https://doi.org/10.1177/095968369400400201, 1994.
Fisher, D. A., Koerner, R. M., Paterson, W. S. B., Dansgaard, W., Gundestrup, N., and Reeh, N.: Effect of wind scouring on climatic records from ice-core oxygen-isotope profiles, Nature, 301, 205–209, https://doi.org/10.1038/301205a0, 1983.
Friedman, I., Benson, C., and Gleason, J.: Isotopic changes during snow metamorphism, in: Stable Isotope Geochemistry: A Tribute to Samuel Epstein, edited by: O'Neill, J. R. and Kaplan, I. R., Geochemical Society, Washington, D. C., 211–221, 1991.
Haussener, S., Gergely, M., Schneebeli, M., and Steinfeld, A.: Determination of the macroscopic optical properties of snow based on exact morphology and direct pore-level heat transfer modeling, J. Geophys. Res., 117, 1–20, https://doi.org/10.1029/2012JF002332, 2012.
He, H. and Smith, R. B.: An advective-diffusive isotopic evaporation-condensation model, J. Geophys. Res., 104, 18619–18630, https://doi.org/10.1029/1999JD900335, 1999.
Helsen, M. M., van de Wal, R. S. W., van den Broeke, M. R., van As, D., Meijer, H. A. J., and Reijmer, C. H.: Oxygen isotope variability in snow from western Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica and its relation to temperature, Tellus, 57, 423–435, 2005.
Helsen, M. M., van de Wal, R. S. W., van den Broeke, M. R., Masson-Delmotte, V., Meijer, H. A. J., Scheele, M. P., and Werner, M.: Modeling the isotopic composition of Antarctic snow using backward trajectories: Simulation of snow pit records,J. Geophys. Res., 111, D15109, https://doi.org/10.1029/2005JD006524, 2006.
Helsen, M. M., van de Wal, R. S. W., and van den Broeke, M. R.: The isotopic composition of present-day Antartic snow in a Lagrangian simulation, J. Climate, 20, 739–756, 2007.
Hendricks, M. B., DePaolo, D. J., and Cohen, R. C.: Space and time variation of δ18O and δD in precipitation: can paleotemperature be estimated from ice cores?, Global Biogeochem. Cy., 14, 851–861, https://doi.org/10.1029/1999GB001198, 2000.
Horita, J., Rozanski, K., and Cohen, S.: Isotope effects in the evaporation of water: a status report of the Craig-Gordon model, Isot. Environ. Health Sci., 44, 23–49, https://doi.org/10.1080/10256010801887174, 2008.
Hoshina, Y., Fujita, K., Nakazawa, F., Iizuka, Y., Miyake, T., Hirabayashi, M., Kuramoto, T., Fujita, S., and Motoyama, H.: Effect of accumulation rate on water stable isotopes of near-surface snow in inland Antarctica. J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 119, 274–283, https://doi.org/10.1002/2013JD020771, 2014.
Hoshina, Y., Fujita, K., Iizuka, Y., and Motoyama, H.: Inconsistent relations among major ions and water stable isotopes in Antartica snow under different accumulation environments, Polar Sci., 10, 1–10, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.polar.2015.12.003, 2016.
Johnsen, S. J.: Stable isotope homogenization of polar firn and ice, in: Isotopes and Impurities in Snow and Ice, Proceeding of the Grenoble Symposium, August/September 1975, IAHS AISH Publication, 118, Grenoble, France, 210–219, 1997.
Johnsen, S. J., Clausen, H. B., Cuffey, K. M., Hoffman, G., Schwander, J., and Creyts, T.: Diffusion of stable isotopes in polar firn and ice: the isotope effect in firn diffusion, in: Physics of Ice Core Records, edited by: Hondoh, T., Hokkaido University Press, Sapporo, Japan, 121–140, 2000.
Johnsen, S. J., Dahl-Jensen, D., Gundestrup, N., Steffensen, J. P., Clausen, H. B., Miller, H., Masson-Delmotte, V., Sveinbjörnsdottir A. E., and White, J.: Oxygen isotope and palaeotemperature records from six Greenland ice-core stations: Camp Century, DYE-3, GRIP, GISP2, Renland and NorthGRIP, J. Quaternary Sci., 16, 299–307, https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.622, 2001.
Jouzel, J. and Merlivat, L.: Deuterium and oxygen 18 in precipitation: modeling of the isotopic effects during snow formation, J. Geophys. Res., 89, 11749–11757, https://doi.org/10.1029/JD089iD07p11749, 1984.
Jouzel, J., Merlivat, L., Petit, J. R., and Lorius, C.: Climatic information over the last century deduced from a detailed isotopic record in the South Pole snow, J. Geophys. Res., 88, 2693–2703, https://doi.org/10.1029/JC088iC04p02693, 1983.
Jouzel, J., Alley, R. B., Cuffey, K. M., Dansgaard, W., Grootes, P., Hoffmann, G., Johnsen, S. J., Koster, R. D., Peel, D., Shuman, C. A., Stievenard, M., Stuiver, M., and White, J.: Validity of the temperature reconstruction from water isotopes in ice cores, J. Geophys. Res., 102, 26471–26487, https://doi.org/10.1029/97JC01283, 1997.
Jouzel, J., Vimeux, F., Caillon, N., Delaygue, G., Hoffman, G., Masson-Delmotte, V., and Parrenin, F.: Magnitude of isotope/temperature scaling for interpretation of central Antarctic ice cores, J. Geophys. Res., 108, 1–6, https://doi.org/10.1029/2002JD002677, 2003.
Krinner, G. and Werner, M.: Impact of precipitation seasonality changes on isotopic signals in polar ice cores: A multi-model analysis, Earth Planet. Sc. Lett., 216, 525–538, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0012-821X(03)00550-8, 2003.
Lorius, C., Merlivat, L., Jouzel, J., and Pourchet, M.: A 30,000-yr isotope climatic record from Antarctica ice, Nature, 280, 644–648, https://doi.org/10.1038/280644a0, 1979.
Löwe H., Spiegel, J. K., and Schneebeli, M.: Interfacial and structural relaxations of snow under isothermal conditions, J. Glaciol., 57, 499–510, 2011.
Masson-Delmotte, V., Steen-Larsen, H. C., Ortega, P., Swingedouw, D., Popp, T., Vinther, B. M., Oerter, H., Sveinbjornsdottir, A. E., Gudlaugsdottir, H., Box, J. E., Falourd, S., Fettweis, X., Gallée, H., Garnier, E., Gkinis, V., Jouzel, J., Landais, A., Minster, B., Paradis, N., Orsi, A., Risi, C., Werner, M., and White, J. W. C.: Recent changes in north-west Greenland climate documented by NEEM shallow ice core data and simulations, and implications for past-temperature reconstructions, The Cryosphere, 9, 1481–1504, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1481-2015, 2015.
Merlivat, L. and Jouzel, J.: Global climatic interpretation of the deuterium-oxygen 18 relationship for precipitation, J. Geophys. Res., 84, 5029–5033, https://doi.org/10.1029/JC084iC08p05029, 1979.
Neumann, T. A.: Effects of firn ventilation on geochemistry of polar snow, PhD thesis, University of Washington, Washington, USA, 2003.
Neumann, T. A. and Waddington, E. D.: Effects of firn ventilation on isotopic exchange, J. Glaciol., 50, 183–194, 2004.
Neumann, T. A., Albert, M. R., Lomonaco, R., Engel, C., Courville, Z., and Perron, F.: Experimental determination of snow sublimation rate and stable-isotopic exchange, Ann. Glaciol., 49, 1–6, 2008.
Otsu, N.: A threshold selection method from gray-level histograms, IEEE T. Syst. Man Cyb., 9, 62–66, 1979.
Penna, D., Stenni, B., Šanda, M., Wrede, S., Bogaard, T. A., Michelini, M., Fischer, B. M. C., Gobbi, A., Mantese, N., Zuecco, G., Borga, M., Bonazza, M., Sobotková, M., Čejková, B., and Wassenaar, L. I.: Technical Note: Evaluation of between-sample memory effects in the analysis of δ2H and δ18O of water samples measured by laser spectroscopes, Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 16, 3925–3933, https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-16-3925-2012, 2012.
Persson, A., Langen, P. L., Ditlevsen, P., and Vinther, B. M.: The influence of precipitation weighting on interannual variability of stable water isotopes in Greenland, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 116, 1–13, https://doi.org/10.1029/2010JD015517, 2011.
Petit, J. R., Jouzel, J., Raynaud, D., Barkov, N. I., Barnola, J.-M., Basile, I., Bender, M., Chappellaz, J., Davis, M., Delaygue, G., Delmotte, M., Kotlyakov, V. M., Legrand, M., Lorius, C., Pépin, L., Ritz, C., Saltzman, E. S., and Stievenard, M.: Climate and atmospheric history of the past 420,000 years from the Vostok ice core, Antarctica, Nature, 399, 429–436, https://doi.org/10.1038/20859, 1999.
Pinzer, B. R. and Schneebeli, M.: Snow metamorphism under alternating temperature gradients: morphology and recrystallization in surface snow, Geophys. Res. Lett., 36, L23503, https://doi.org/10.1029/2009GL039618, 2009.
Pinzer, B. R., Schneebeli, M., and Kaempfer, T. U.: Vapor flux and recrystallization during dry snow metamorphism under a steady temperature gradient as observed by time-lapse micro-tomography, The Cryosphere, 6, 1141–1155, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-6-1141-2012, 2012.
Ramseier, R. O: Self-diffusion of tritium in natural and synthetic ice monocrystals, J. Appl. Phys., 38, 2553–2556, 1967.
Ritter, F., Steen-Larsen, H. C., Werner, M., Masson-Delmotte, V., Orsi, A., Behrens, M., Birnbaum, G., Freitag, J., Risi, C., and Kipfstuhl, S.: Isotopic exchange on the diurnal scale between near-surface snow and lower atmospheric water vapor at Kohnen station, East Antarctica, The Cryosphere, 10, 1647–1663, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-10-1647-2016, 2016.
Schleef, S., Jaggi, M., Löwe H., and Schneebeli, M.: Instruments and methods: an improved machine to produce nature-identical snow in the laboratory, J. Glaciol., 60, 94–102, 2014.
Sjolte, J., Hoffmann, G., Johnsen, S. J., Vinther, B. M., Masson-Delmotte, V., and Sturm, C.: Modeling the water isotopes in Greenland precipitation 1959–2001 with the meso-scale model remo-iso, J. Geophys. Res., 116, 1–22, https://doi.org/10.1029/2010JD015287, 2011.
Sokratov, S. A. and Golubev, V. N.: Snow isotopic content change by sublimation. J. Glaciol., 55, 823–828, 2009.
Steen-Larsen, H. C., Masson-Delmotte, V., Sjolte, J., Johnsen, S. J., Vinther, B. M., Breon, F. M., Clausen, H. B., Dahl-Jensen, D., Falourd, S., Fettweis, X., Gallee, H., Jouzel, J., Kageyama, M., Lerche, H., Minster, B., Picard, G., Punge, H. J., Risi, C., Salas, D., Schwander, J., Steffen, K., Sveinbjornsdottir, A. E., Svensson, A., and White, J.: Understanding the climatic signal in the water stable isotope records from the neem shallow firn/ice cores in northwest Greenland, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 116, 1–20, https://doi.org/10.1029/2010JD014311, 2011.
Steen-Larsen, H. C., Johnsen, S. J., Masson-Delmotte, V., Stenni, B., Risi, C., Sodemann, H., Balslev-Clausen, D., Blunier, T., Dahl-Jensen, D., Ellehøj, M. D., Falourd, S., Grindsted, A., Gkinis, V., Jouzel, J., Popp, T., Sheldon, S., Simonsen, S. B., Sjolte, J., Steffensen, J. P., Sperlich, P., Sveinbjörnsdóttir, A. E., Vinther, B. M., and White, J. W. C.: Continuous monitoring of summer surface water vapor isotopic composition above the Greenland Ice Sheet, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 13, 4815–4828, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-13-4815-2013, 2013.
Steen-Larsen, H. C., Masson-Delmotte, V., Hirabayashi, M., Winkler, R., Satow, K., Prié, F., Bayou, N., Brun, E., Cuffey, K. M., Dahl-Jensen, D., Dumont, M., Guillevic, M., Kipfstuhl, S., Landais, A., Popp, T., Risi, C., Steffen, K., Stenni, B., and Sveinbjörnsdottír, A. E.: What controls the isotopic composition of Greenland surface snow?, Clim. Past, 10, 377–392, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-10-377-2014, 2014a.
Steen-Larsen, H. C., Sveinbjörnsdottir, A. E., Peters, A. J., Masson-Delmotte, V., Guishard, M. P., Hsiao, G., Jouzel, J., Noone, D., Warren, J. K., and White, J. W. C.: Climatic controls on water vapor deuterium excess in the marine boundary layer of the North Atlantic based on 500 days of in situ, continuous measurements, Atmos. Chem. Phys., 14, 7741–7756, https://doi.org/10.5194/acp-14-7741-2014, 2014b.
Sturm, M. and Johnson, J. B.: Natural convection in the subarctic snow cover, J. Geophys. Res., 96, 11657–11671, https://doi.org/10.1029/91JB00895, 1991.
Town, M. S., Warren, S. G., Walden, V. P., and Waddington, E. D.: Effect of atmospheric water vapor on modification of stable isotopes in near-surface snow on ice sheets, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 113, 1–16, https://doi.org/10.1029/2008JD009852, 2008.
van der Wel, G., Fischer, H., Oerter, H., Meyer, H., and Meijer, H. A. J.: Estimation and calibration of the water isotope differential diffusion length in ice core records, The Cryosphere, 9, 1601–1616, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-9-1601-2015, 2015.
Waddington, E. D., Cunningham, J., and Harder, S. L.: The effects of snow ventilation on chemical concentrations, in: Chemical Exchange Between the Atmosphere and Polar Snow, edited by: Wolff, E. W. and Bales, R. C., Springer, Berlin, NATO ASI Series, 43, 403–452, 1996.
Waddington, E. D., Steig, E. J., and Neumann, T. A.: Using characteristic times to assess whether stable isotopes in polar snow can be reversibly deposited, Ann. Glaciol., 35, 118–124, 2002.
Werner, M., Langebroek, P. M., Carlsen, T., Herold, M., and Lohmann, G.: Stable water isotopes in the ECHAM5 general circulation model: Toward high-resolution isotope modeling on a global scale, J. Geophys. Res.-Atmos., 116, D15109, https://doi.org/10.1029/2011JD015681, 2011.
White, J. W., Barlow, L. K., Fisher, D., Grootes, P., Jouzel, J., Johnsen, S. J., Stuiver, M., and Clausen, H.: The climate signal in the stable isotopes of snow from Summit, Greenland: Results of comparisons with modern climate observations, J. Geophys. Res., 102, 26425–26439, https://doi.org/10.1029/97JC00162, 1997.
Zermatten, E., Schneebeli, M., Arakawa, H., and Steinfeld, A.: Tomography-based determination of porosity, specific area and permeability of snow and comparison with measurements, Cold Reg. Sci. Technol., 97, 33–40, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coldregions.2013.09.013, 2014.
Short summary
Stable water isotopes (δ18O) obtained from snow and ice samples from polar regions are used to reconstruct past climate variability. We present an experimental study on the effect on the snow isotopic composition by airflow through a snowpack in controlled laboratory conditions. The disequilibrium between snow and vapor isotopes changed the isotopic content of the snow. These measurements suggest that metamorphism and its history affect the snow isotopic composition.
Stable water isotopes (δ18O) obtained from snow and ice samples from polar regions are used to...
